Currently in beta, Fire With Fire mixes up the tower defense formula by adding in offense. Whether in online multiplayer matches or in the not-yet-available single player campaign, players must defend their own base with towers while also destroying their opponent’s. The former is achieved through customizable defenses and the latter via sending creeps at your enemies.

The ability to attack is limited by a one-minute cooldown timer which gives players a brief respite to focus on their own defenses. Placing towers can redirect the path that incoming creeps take, with the goal being to lengthen that path as much as possible. Individual towers can be upgraded using points earned through continuing to build more towers, and stronger tower types can eventually be unlocked in each group. There’s a fairly standard tradeoff when it comes to the tower specializations like offense firepower, range, and single-target vs. splash damage. However, there are some other interesting side effects thrown in like the ability to make the enemies pop up in the air.

The offensive system is just as entertaining as protecting your own base. Players choose the types of creeps they want to send from a handful of varieties and also the order in which they’ll come in. This adds an extra layer of strategy in that some creeps are damage soakers, some are weak but speedy, and others are offensive beasts. Running them in a particular order can be much more effective once you get a feel for the enemy’s defenses. Repeatedly sending creeps of a specific variety will also evolve them into a more ferocious version. Once combat actually starts, the game moves into a passive mode where the player is either watching their own base get attacked or seeing the outcome of their own offensive onslaught. The break is brief, though, and players will need to be ready to quickly resume focus on attacking and defending.

An area where the game shines – quite literally – is in the graphical style. The environments, towers, and creeps are all drawn in a cartoonish manner (think Castle Crashers with extra texturing), and there’s a definite ‘wow factor’ in the particle effects seen on the battlefield. Flaming explosions, singeing electricity, and other effects look downright beautiful. It’s really impressive, and it will be interesting to see whether all of that activity bogs down future mobile versions of the game.

Perhaps one of the best features of Fire With Fire is that it offers multiplatform and cross-platform play. You’ll be able to take on your PC-loving friends from the comfort of your couch or recliner. While PC and Mac will be the early recipients of this title, plans also include releases on OUYA, Android, and iOS. Although the current version is focused on multiplayer – and thankfully so – a single player campaign is also in development that will include leveling up by completing specific goals.

Fire With Fire is currently in closed beta, but appears to be progressing quite well. Skull Skill Studios has placed the game on Steam Greenlight, and their Kickstarter campaign is just about to end. Kickstarter backers will receive access to the closed beta, so check it out asap.

© 2014, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

It’s no secret that mobile gaming doesn’t have the best reputation amongst more traditional game enthusiasts. Whether mobile gaming needs to be more like console/pc gaming or those conventional forms should take a hint from the mobile sphere is something that constantly sparks heated arguments. Well, whatever side you’re on, Hardscore Games is attempting to make a statement with Star Admiral, their first game: mobile gaming can be better.

Star Admiral is set to be a massively multiplayer competitive strategy game for the mobile space, set in, well, space! Featuring PVP and tournaments, Star Admiral has players commanding a fleet of spaceships from a variety of races using mechanics reminiscent of trading card games. Players will upgrade their fleets and use all sorts of tactics and strategy to defeat their opponents. Like any good TCG or TCG-esque game, Star Admiral seems to have some really nice visuals and designs, albeit in 3D rather than art on cards. I’m a sucker for sci-fi settings and cool looking ships, so I’m looking forward to seeing the release of this game.

Hardscore Games promises a strong community focus and is standing against the standard “pay to win” model plaguing mobile games. The developer is also offering some incentives to get people paying attention to Star Admiral sooner: be one of the first 5,000 to sign up to  their newsletter and you’ll get an exclusive ship to use in the game. Be one of the first 1,000 to register for the forum, and get a Founding Member forum title. Finally, like their page on Facebook and you’ll have a chance at beta access.

Star Admiral currently has a ‘late 2013’ release date and will be free to own on iOS and Android. For more information, check out the game’s website.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Regular visitors to our site over the past couple of months may already be familiar with indie developer Mike Knight and Hellboy Studios. Mike has been sharing his development experience in a series of blog posts covering everything from coming up with a game concept to creating an icon for an app store. That knowledge has come, in part, from the process of developing Hellboy Studios’ latest game, Travelling Tribal.

Travelling Tribal is a 2D platformer for Android devices and features a protagonist named – oddly enough – Travelling Tribal. TT experiences the familiar story of a young man wanting to get out and see the world. That adventure turns into a nightmare, though, as he must face giant bees, hungry sharks, and evil tribesmen in order to complete his journey. Armed with magical spells and mystical abilities, he’s not completely defenseless against his foes, but players must react quickly to the dangers.

Travelling Tribal is due out on September 30th for Android smartphones and tablets. The initial release will come in both English and Korean language formats. Have a look at the recently-released teaser trailer below, and follow Hellboy Studios on Twitter and Facebook as they wrap up development.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

It’s been an important month already for the FIEA. For those unfamiliar with the acronym, it’s the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. This educational program is conducted on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando, Florida. The FIEA takes artists, programmers, and other talented individuals through a graduate program and teaches them the process of developing video games in a professional capacity. Students that graduate have been hired by a number of big-name companies, and the faculty includes instructors from Sony, Microsoft, and EA among others.

As part of this program, students form into teams to develop what are called “capstone games”. It’s a group project in which each team produces a video game which they must present after approximately six months worth of work. On August 2nd, the latest class of students, Cohort 9, showed off four games created by teams of about 15 members. Some of the projects have already made it to market, and all look like they’re worth keeping an eye on. So without further ado, here are the four games with descriptions provided by Adam Grayson, one of the students that worked on Grapple.

Pitch Jumper

Pitch Jumper is a mobile, music-based, sidescrolling platformer starring an adorable creature named Coda. The game lets you select songs from your device, and it dynamically generates the levels based off of the song’s length, beats, density, and tempo. You then control Coda and help him make it to the end of the level while collecting as many Noteys (small flying music note-shaped critters) as possible.

Pitch Jumper was developed for iOS devices and is currently in development for Android and Steam Greenlight as well. The game is already out on the iTunes App Store, and IT’S FREE, so check it out!

Grapple

Grapple is a fast-paced adventure game where your main form of locomotion is using a grappling gun to quickly zip and swing around the environment. You play as Amina, a young, carefree mechanic who just so happens to use a grappling gun in her daily work. This allows her to quickly and easily access hard to reach parts of the city where much of the city’s equipment is located. One day, an enemy nation attacks, and the whole city is thrown into turmoil. Though she is by no means a soldier, Amina’s grappling hook makes her the only one who can navigate the city quickly enough to stave off the enemies both on the ground and on the rooftops. Unsure about the position she’s forced into, Amina becomes the only thing standing between the giant, mobile carrier of the enemy, known as the Destrozar, and the total annihilation of Amina’s peaceful town.

Warp Derby

Warp Derby is a multiplayer demolition derby… with portals! You can choose and customize your vehicle’s parts, powerups, and skills and then compete against up to seven other players in a death match, team death match, or capture the flag-style tournament. Just when you think you have the upper hand, the opponents will knock you into their portals which will send you flying to your destruction, be it by bombs, a pit of molten metal, a giant crusher, a heat-seeking missile, a train, or a merciless combination or the sort. The more creative and unique the kill, the more points are rewarded. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Escherreal

Escherreal is a 3D/2D puzzle platformer. You play as Raffi, the not-so-bright nephew of M. C. Escher, as he is sucked into the crazy and disorienting world of Escher’s mirror marble. Utilizing the mirror marbles and mirror marble shards in this world, Raffi must flip gravity every which way in order to progress through the environment. Even then, Raffi must also obtain and use Escher’s experimental Infinispecs to switch the world from 3D to 2D and back to gain a new perspective on life and escape his uncle’s mischievous world.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

On September 5th, an update rolls out that adds two new difficulty modes: light (easy) and shadow (hard). Each mode will include new graphical styles, soundtracks, and leader boards. Check them out below.

If you haven’t bought it already, PUK definitely deserves your dollars. Grab it on the Google Play Store or for iOS. You can read a little more about the update on Laser Dog’s blog.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

There are tons of roleplaying games for Android devices. In fact, there are so many games it is definitely difficult to figure out which ones are worth downloading. Any gamer knows that not all roleplaying games are created equal. Some role playing games are better than others. While there are many awesome games available, there are also games that are duds. The following is a complete list of some of the hottest roleplaying games for Android devices that are currently available. You will never play another boring roleplaying game if you stick to the games mentioned in the list below.

Pocket Legends – Pocket Legends is hands down one of the most entertaining and exciting MMORPGs currently available for Android devices. This 3D source of addiction will leave you hooked for hours, days, possibly weeks. This game is the largest mobile MMORPG game to date. Gather with other fantasy fans in a humid swamp, a sweeping mountain top or a dark and dreary dungeon. The power of choice is back in the hands of the players. Pocket Legends will seriously leave you hooked. This game has received some rave reviews from fans. The graphics get you hooked and the game play keeps you coming back for more. It is easy to get addicted to this game.

Symphony of Eternity – You remember the old Pokémon games for the Nintendo Gameboy system? This game has a lot in common with that, but with a better storyline. Fight with legendary weapons in a fantasy land full of danger and mystery. Monsters are waiting around every turn. Be ready for full-fledged drama in this stunning game. This game has received stellar reviews from players. The graphics and sound effects are fantastic. If you are ready for an adventure of a lifetime you can count on this game to deliver it.

Inotia 3: Children of Carnia – Inotia 3: Children of Carnia is nothing short of beautiful. Gameplay is spectacular and leaves gamers craving more. This game has won second place in 2011 at the Best Apps Ever Awards. This is quite an honor. You must save the lives of the ones that you love in Carnia. You must embark on a warrior’s adventure. This has an organized party system that allows players to build a six-class system. This game has received rave reviews from players.

Order and Chaos Online – Order and Chaos Online will simply leave you hooked. This is hands down one of the best role playing games for Android devices. This game is something like World of Warcraft, but a bit different. The storyline will leave you intrigued and the graphics are nothing short of spectacular. This 3D game will leave you feeling like a hero in no time. Gamers should be aware that they need a wi-fi connection and Game Live account in order to enjoy this one of a kind game. Do not miss out on a moment of the action. This game brings tons of players together in one epic battle for good of all.

Zenonia 4 – Zenonia 4 will not leave you disappointed in any way. In fact, it will only leave you craving more. This 2D game has a storyline that enchants you from the very first frame. This game is not just great for Android tablet gaming. The graphics also look just as fantastic on Android phones. An evil that is ancient and despicable has come to take lives and rule the world. You must put a stop to it. This game leaves nothing to be desired.

Jason Phillips wrote this guest article. He always adds the best content to his article which is unique and written in his own way. He is also hired by zombiegames365.com as a regular contributor.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

The first area being tackled is in education. Eden Industries has taken on a mentorship role with a number of students from the British Columbia Institute of Technology in Vancouver. These students have the chance to channel their passion and interest in game development into a real environment. By taking the areas of game development these students are most interested in and finding areas within Eden Industries that are in line with those interests, it’s giving these students a chance to learn and create while building the skills and confidence that will help them succeed in the industry. In most cases, the work being done by these students actually makes it into the released product. The studio would like to branch out to other schools if the situation is right.

On a more professional level, the Garden of Indie initiative is helping development teams fill gaps in experience or abilities. A prime example can be found directly within Eden’s ranks. Lead level designer Robin Vincent has started his own project with his own team outside of Eden’s confines. While that project has the right people to handle level design, certain technical aspects need some outside help, and that’s where Garden of Indie steps in. Eden Industries has been able to to provide a custom-built game engine that Robin and team can build on.

Naturally there’s risk involved with focusing so much effort outside of the team’s own work, but Eden Industries founder Ryan Vandendyck  believes that these kinds of strategic partnerships can benefit all sides. Even if it’s not always a success from a financial standpoint, they can find value in the work completed. Exposure to new types of game genres or even the tech developed are potentially valuable resources for later projects. Will all future partnerships be as involved as the project with Robin Vincent? Not necessarily as Vandendyck says “it may look different from partnership to partnership”.

It sounds like Eden Industries is pushing forward with a new method of collaboration within the gaming industry. It will be interesting to see whether there are some growing pains as the studio expands beyond this first round of partnerships. I know I’ll be watching to see whether Garden of Indie picks up steam within the community and whether it can spur other developers to take on these same kind of roles.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

The first big announcement is support for additional platforms. Ports for both iOS and Android are currently being developed. No official release date has been provided, but mobile gaming fans can look forward to saving the universe on their touch-based devices later this year.

The other announcement is apparently another one of the most-requested features: music import. Eden Industries is adding a mode that will allow players to import their own music to the game. Waveform will automatically create a level based on the song’s characteristics.

Exciting times are ahead for fans of Waveform and Eden Industries. Stay tuned to The Indie Mine for future announcements including release dates.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Described as a “run-and-jumper”, Jones on Fire tasks players with doing what every good firefighter should do: save kitties. Doing so unlocks new abilities for lead hero Emma Jones as she tries to outrun the pursuing pixel-art wall of fire. And if saving furry friends along the way isn’t enough incentive to be a hero, leaderboards are included for bragging rights. The retro art style and “cute factor” certainly make this game look like it’ll be appealing to a wide audience. The price tag of $0 can’t hurt either.

Although no official release date has been announced, Glass Bottom Games is hoping to have it out within a few weeks. For meow, erm now, you can check out the latest trailer below.

© 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.

Here at The Indie Mine, we’re all about helping out independent developers in whatever way we can. So when we heard about a new fundraiser to help out new industry pioneers, we were excited to share the news with you. The 3rd Bundle in a  Box promotion will help bring in money to aid one lucky studio in funding their future projects. As indicated in the press release below, any developer wishing to participate in the promotion has until tomorrow to get their submissions in. Stay tuned to The Indie Mine for future announcements including when the bundle will officially launch.

The Indie Dev Grant, the feature of Bundle In A Box we are most proud of, is, as you may already know, a grant designed to help indie game developers actually create the games they’ve always wanted to. For every 100 bundles sold, $10 will be added to the grant. One indie developer (be it a group or an individual), voted by the esteemed fans of Bundle in a Box will get the whole amount after the bundle ends.

No strings will be attached by either Bundle in a Box or Kyttaro Games.

The grant can be used in any way the developer that earns it sees fit and will in no way be obliged to co-operate with Kyttaro Games or Bundle in a Box. Developers that have already taken part in one of our bundles or are willing to do so in the future are also eligible for the grant. Actually, absolutely anyone is free to enter; yes, even people trying to buy some time in order to create their next freeware gem.

As gamers will start voting on the developer that will earn the grant from the moment the bundle launches, we do ask those interested in participating to contact us with their entries up to November 26.

 

To enter, applicants will have to e-mail us at info@bundle-in-a-box.com and provide us with the following:

 

-A title for the project they are going to be using the IDG for.

-One screenshot or piece of concept from their project.

-One link to their project’s or their personal site (if available).

-A description of the project (up to 200 words)

-Something about them or their team (up to 100 words)

 

All Indie Dev Grant entries will be presented on tumblr and on the Bundle In A Box blog.

-Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Kyttaro Games

© 2012 – 2013, The Indie Mine. All rights reserved.